Raymond John Leppan (born 20 July 1979) is a South African retired

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

. He is best known for his time in

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

under the ring name Adam Rose. Making his debut on the South African independent circuit in 1995, Leppan signed with WWE in 2010, wrestling in its

developmental territory Development of the human body is the process of growth to maturity. The process begins with fertilization, where an egg released from the ovary of a female is penetrated by a sperm cell from a male. The resulting zygote develops through mitos ...

Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until ...

(FCW) under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

Leo Kruger, where he became a two-time FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion. After FCW folded in 2012, Leppan continued to wrestle in its successor NXT as Leo Kruger, before moving to WWE's main roster, as Adam Rose in early 2014. After a series of controversies, Leppan asked for his release from the promotion in April 2016 and wrestled in the international independent circuit.

Early life

According to an E60 interview, Adam wanted to wrestle from the age of 9. A school drop-out, Leppan ran away from home when he was 14, then spent two years living on the streets and in abandoned buildings. Leppan later described that he had been "spiraling out of control" during that period, which was full of violence and alcohol, and only the thought of becoming a wrestler had helped him escape. Leppan's mother later successfully managed to entice Leppan to return home to Johannesburg from

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

with the prospect of beginning wrestling classes.

Professional wrestling career

Independent circuit (1995–2010)

Leppan made his professional wrestling debut in 1995 at the age of 15 He eventually wrestled on the South African

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

as Z-Max, a character based on ''

The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen. It is the first film in ''The Karate Kid'' franchise. The film stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, an ...

''. He worked in Philadelphia with

Paul Lloyd Jr. Phillip Paul Lloyd (born 3 March 1981) is a South African-American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, under the ring name Justin Gabriel. He is currently wrestling under the ring name P. J. Black ...

, known as the tag team Pure Juice. He also wrestled as Dameon Duke in

World Wrestling Professionals Champions Pro Wrestling (formerly World Wrestling Professionals) is a South African professional wrestling promotion created in 2002. The promotion was televised in South Africa from 2004 to 2009 and internationally in 2009. CPW is owned by Mar ...

. While there, he won the

WWP World Heavyweight Championship The WWP Heavyweight World Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the South African professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Professionals (WWP), contested exclusively among Heavyweight (>=) wrestlers ...

by defeating

Tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

in 2007 and lost it to Fury the following year.

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE

Florida Championship Wrestling (2010–2012)

Leppan debuted at a

(FCW)

house show A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in o ...

under his real name on 12 February 2010, in a losing effort against

David Otunga David Daniel Otunga (born April 7, 1980) is an American actor and former professional wrestler and lawyer. He is best known for his tenure in WWE from 2009 to 2015. Otunga was the runner-up on the first season of ''WWE NXT'' and later an origina ...

. He made his televised debut two weeks later, losing to

Curt Hawkins Brian Myers (born April 20, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a member of The System. He is a three-time TNA World Tag Team Champion, having held the title with Trev ...

The following week, Leppan changed his ring name to Leo Kruger, chosen as a tribute to his relative and former President of South Africa

Paul Kruger Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger (; 10 October 1825 – 14 July 1904), better known as Paul Kruger, was a South African politician. He was one of the dominant political and military figures in 19th-century South Africa, and State Preside ...

, before losing to

Johnny Curtis Curtis Jonathan Hussey (born July 22, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a member of The System and performs under the ring name Johnny Dango Curtis (shortened as JDC) while a ...

. On 25 March, Kruger picked up his first televised win by defeating Jacob Novak. At the television tapings on 20 May, Kruger challenged the former Paul Lloyd, Jr. and fellow South African wrestler,

Justin Gabriel Phillip Paul Lloyd (born 3 March 1981) is a South African-American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, under the ring name Justin Gabriel. He is currently wrestling under the ring name P. J. Black. A second-generation w ...

to a match. At the television tapings on 10 June, Kruger lost to Gabriel, before defeating him in a rematch on 1 July. In mid-2010, Kruger formed a team with Derrick Bateman, known as The Handsome Man Express. The duo challenged Los Aviadores (

Hunico José Jorge Arriaga RodríguezSee :File:Proof for MPJ-DK.jpg, which falls under WP:ABOUTSELF that states "Self-published and questionable sources may be used as sources of information about themselves, usually in articles about themselves or t ...

and Epico) for the

FCW Florida Tag Team Championship The FCW Florida Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling, (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It was contested for in their tag team division. The c ...

on 2 July, but were unsuccessful. On 8 July, Kruger teamed with

Tyler Reks Gabbi Alon Tuft (born November 1, 1978) is an American TikToker and former Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Tuft is best known for her time with WWE under the ring name Tyler Reks. Tuft also competed in WWE's Farm team#Professiona ...

to challenge Los Aviadores again for the championship, but was unsuccessful. Kruger then went on a winning streak, defeating Big E Langston, Bateman, Austin Watson, Husky Harris, and

Wes Brisco Wesley Brisco (born February 21, 1983) is an American professional wrestler known for his time in Impact Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former member of Aces & Eights. He is a member of the Brisco wrestling family; the son of former Championshi ...

, before finally losing in a

mixed tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder ...

, when he and Kaitlyn lost to

Brad Maddox Joshua Tyler Kluttz (born May 4, 1984) is an American professional wrestler and actor best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Brad Maddox. From 2008 to 2012, Maddox was assigned to WWE's developmental territori ...

and Jamie Keyes on 9 September. Kruger's final match in 2010 was at the television tapings on 23 September, when he lost to Bo Rotundo. Following the match, Kruger lost feeling in his arm, and it was discovered that he had broken his neck. While recuperating, Kruger became a commentator for the FCW television program. After Bo Rotundo was injured in September 2011, his FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship was

vacated A vacated judgment (also known as vacatur relief) is a legal judgment that legally voids a previous legal judgment. A vacated judgment is usually the result of the judgment of an appellate court, which overturns, reverses, or sets aside the judgme ...

and a tournament set up to determine the new champion. Kruger defeated

Percy Watson Nicholas Christopher McNeil (born August 19, 1981), better known by his ring name Percy Watson, is an American professional wrestler, commentator, and former professional football player. He is best known for his time with WWE as an in-ring ...

to make it to the final, a

fatal four-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

against Husky Harris,

Damien Sandow Aron Steven Haddad (born August 3, 1982) is an American retired professional wrestler working as a manager in the National Wrestling Alliance under the name Aron Stevens. He is best known for wrestling with WWE under the ring name Damien Sandow ...

, and

Dean Ambrose Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Champion in his record-setting fourth ...

. Kruger won the match and the championship, his first in FCW. Kruger then appeared in

dark match Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that o ...

es prior to the ''

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...

'' television tapings on 20 and 27 September, losing to

Trent Barreta Gregory Marasciulo (born March 30, 1987), better known by the ring name Trent Beretta, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Don Callis Family and one-half of Roppongi Vice ...

and defeating

respectively. Kruger successfully defended the championship against Harris on 24 October episode of FCW television and on 14 November episode of FCW television, Kruger defeated Harris and

Richie Steamboat Richard Henry Blood Jr. (born July 7, 1987) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Richie Steamboat. He is known for wrestling in WWE's developmental territories Florida Championship Wrestling and NXT, and w ...

in a triple threat match to retain the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship. On 18 December episode of FCW television, Kruger successfully defended the championship against

Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986), better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and ...

, after interference from

Antonio Cesaro Claudio Castagnoli ( ; born 27 December 1980) is a Swiss professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Death Riders and a former AEW World Trios Championship, AEW World Trios Champion. He also per ...

. In late December 2011, Kruger appeared at several WWE

s, losing to

Alex Riley Kevin Robert Kiley Jr. (born April 28, 1981) is an American former professional wrestler and commentator. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, under the ring name Alex Riley, where he was a participant in the second season of '' NXT''. Pr ...

on 27 and 28 December. On 30 December, he teamed with Riley and

Mason Ryan Barri Griffiths (born 13 January 1982) is a Welsh stunt performer, actor, and former Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with WWE, where he performed under the ring name Mason Ryan from 2009 to 2014. He j ...

to defeat Tyler Reks, Curt Hawkins, and

JTG Jayson Anthony Paul (born December 10, 1984) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his time in WWE under the ring name JTG. Paul began his professional wrestling career in 2006 with World Wrestling Entertai ...

in a

six-man tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...

at a Raw

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

house show. On 2 February 2012, Kruger lost the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship to Mike Dalton. He regained the championship from Dalton three weeks later on 23 February, but lost it that same night to Seth Rollins.

NXT (2012–2014)

When WWE

rebranded Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors ...

its developmental territory, FCW, into

NXT Wrestling NXT is a developmental brand of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, serving as a training ground for wrestlers before they move to WWE's main roster on either Raw or SmackDown. Introduced on February 23, 2010, NXT features a sep ...

, Kruger's NXT television debut took place on 27 June 2012 episode of the rebooted ''

WWE NXT ''WWE NXT'', also known simply as ''NXT'', is an American professional wrestling television program. It is produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, featuring wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The show c ...

'' taped at

Full Sail University Full Sail University is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit university in Winter Park, Florida. It was formerly a recording studio in Ohio named Full Sail Productions and Full Sail Center f ...

, where he defeated

Aiden English Matthew Thomas Rehwoldt (born October 7, 1987) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as a color commentator, alongside Tom Hannifan. He is also known for his time in WWE, where he p ...

. On 1 August episode of ''NXT'', Kruger was inserted into the Gold Rush Tournament to crown the first NXT Champion, where he was defeated by

in the quarter-finals. In September, Kruger's character was altered into that of a deranged

hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...

and

mercenary A mercenary is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather t ...

. In December, Kruger formed an alliance with

Kassius Ohno William Christopher Spradlin (born December 24, 1979), better known by his ring name Chris Hero, is an American professional wrestler and trainer. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer. Hero has worked for a number of indepen ...

; Kruger and Ohno defeated Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel on 2 January 2013 episode of ''NXT''. On 16 January episode of ''NXT'', Kruger defeated

Trent Baretta Gregory Marasciulo (born March 30, 1987), better known by the ring name Trent Beretta, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Don Callis Family and one-half of Roppongi Vice wi ...

. On 30 January episode of ''NXT'', Ohno and Kruger entered the NXT Tag Team Championship Tournament to crown the inaugural champions and defeated Alex Riley and Derrick Bateman in the first round. On 6 February episode of ''NXT'', Kruger and Ohno were defeated by

Adrian Neville Benjamin Satterley (born 22 August 1986), better known by his ring name Pac (sometimes stylised in ''all caps''), is an English professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of Death Riders. He is a fo ...

and

Oliver Grey Joel Pettyfer (born 21 February 1987), is an English Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Joel Redman. Pettyfer is best known for his work on the independent circuit in the United Kingdom, where he is a f ...

in the semi-finals. Kruger then moved on to feud with Justin Gabriel when he attempted to attack Gabriel's injured partner,

Tyson Kidd Theodore James "TJ" Wilson (born July 11, 1980), better known by the ring name Tyson Kidd, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he works as a road agent (professional wrestling), producer. The final graduate o ...

; Kruger won the series of matches 2–1. Kruger next set his sights on Bo Dallas's NXT Championship. On 18 July ''NXT'', Kruger won a triple threat match against

Sami Zayn Rami Sebei (born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Sami Zayn. Sebei made his professional wrestling debut in 2002 under the ring name Stevie McFly. Pr ...

and Antonio Cesaro to become number one contender. On 7 August, Kruger fought Dallas for NXT Championship, but lost. Kruger eventually feuded with Zayn with the feud culminated in Zayn winning a two-out-of-three falls match on 1 January 2014 ''NXT''. Adam Rose Entrance 19 May 2014

Leppan was then removed from television, and began wrestling at house shows as a new character called Adam Rose. As Rose, he returned to television on 6 March 2014 episode of ''NXT'', with his new character being an organiser of parties with various colourful costumed party-goers, who accompany him during his ring entrance. Rose's supporters are called Rosebuds. The Rose character is loosely based on comedian

Russell Brand Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian, actor, podcaster and media personality. He established himself as a stand-up comedian and radio host before becoming a film actor. After beginning his career as a comedian and la ...

. In August 2014, within NXT, Rose and Sami Zayn participated in a tournament for an opportunity at the

NXT Tag Team Championship The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's Professional wrestling championship, professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT ...

, defeating Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd in the first round, but they lost in the second round to

Lucha Dragons The Lucha Dragons were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Kalisto and Sin Cara. They previously wrestled in WWE's developmental territory NXT, where they were one-time NXT Tag Team Champions. Their name is a reference to their ''luc ...

( Kalisto and

Sin Cara Sin Cara may refer to: * Místico (born 1982), Mexican professional wrestler, wrestled as Sin Cara in WWE between 2011 and 2013 * Cinta de Oro (born 1977), American professional wrestler, wrestled as Sin Cara in WWE during 2011 and between 2013 ...

), with the Adam Rose character being pinned for the first time. On 4 September episode of ''NXT'', Rose suffered his first singles loss at the hands of Tyson Kidd.

The Exotic Express (2014–2015)

After WrestleMania XXX, '' Raw'' on 7 April, WWE aired introductory vignettes for Rose. Rose made his main roster debut on the 5 May episode of ''Raw'', by interrupting

Zeb Colter Wayne Maurice Keown (born November 29, 1949) is an American professional wrestling manager (professional wrestling), manager, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Book, booker and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, bette ...

and

Jack Swagger Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He currently performs on the independent circ ...

. Rose continued to distract Swagger during his matches, leading to Swagger losing. Rose wrestled his first Raw match on the 26 May episode of ''Raw'' in a winning effort against

. During the match Swagger and Colter interfered, holding one of Rose's party members hostage. Rose saved his friend after winning the match despite the distraction. Rose defeated Swagger on the 30 May episode of ''SmackDown'' and the 2 June episode of ''Raw''. Rose made his first pay-per-view appearance at Money in the Bank where he defeated Damien Sandow. On the

Battleground A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troop ...

pre-show, Rose defeated

Fandango Fandango is a lively partner dance originating in Portugal and Spain, usually in triple metre, triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, tambourine or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is u ...

. After over a month of inactivity, Rose returned on 1 September episode of ''Raw'', where he defeated

Titus O'Neil Thaddeus Michael Bullard (born April 29, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and former arena football player. He is signed to WWE as a Global Ambassador. Described by the company as "one of the most philanthropic superstars in WWE hist ...

. On 22 September episode of ''Raw'', Rose teamed with his popular Rosebud, The Bunny (a 'highly athletic individual' in a rabbit suit) for the first time, as they defeated

Heath Slater Heath Wallace Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE under the ring name Heath Slater. He also performed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Impact Wrestling ...

and Titus O'Neil. On the 15th Anniversary episode of ''SmackDown'' for 10 October, Rose suffered his first main roster loss at the hands of

Kane Kane or KANE may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Fictional entities *Kane (comics), the main character of the eponymous comic book series by Paul Grist * Kane (''Command & Conquer''), Tiberium universe character in the ''Command & Conquer'' ...

On 31 October episode of ''SmackDown'', WWE teased dissension between Rose and The Bunny when

R-Truth Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under his real name, stylized as Ron Killings and R-Truth. Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) ...

hinted that The Bunny was upstaging Rose. After The Bunny cost Rose a match, The Bunny was assaulted and abandoned by Rose, but continued supporting Rose for his next match and often started causing Rose to lose some matches after the attempts to help him out backfired. In response, Rose allowed The Bunny to submit to Tyson Kidd during an "inter-species" match, rather than saving him when Kidd placed him in the

sharpshooter A sharpshooter is one who is highly proficient at firing firearms or other projectile weapons accurately. Military units composed of sharpshooters were important factors in 19th-century combat. Along with " marksman" and "expert", "sharpshooter" ...

. The Bunny teamed up with Rose at

Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...

to take on Slater Gator (Heath Slater and Titus O'Neil) in a tag team match. The Bunny won the match but Rose was clearly displeased. The Bunny and Rose then failed to win a tag team turmoil match, which granted the winners a shot at the

WWE Tag Team Championship The WWE Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE ...

. In December 2014, the Bunny won a Slammy Award; Rose later explained in a

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

how he had found him in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

and hired him. Rose feuded with Kane, with Kane defeating him and The Bunny sustaining a neck injury from receiving a tombstone piledriver when he was just helping out Rose. On 22 December episode of Raw, Rose snapped after a quick loss to R-Truth and viciously attacked The Bunny, turning

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...

in the process; this beat down marked The Bunny's last appearance. As part of his heel turn, Rose started to push around his Rosebuds, behaving like a

bully Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing, comments, or threats, in order to abuse, aggressively dominate, or intimidate one or more others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perc ...

. He next feuded with the returning

Zack Ryder Matthew Brett Cardona (born May 14, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is a freelancer who competes on the independent circuit as well as making in ring appearances for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), All Elite Wrestling (AEW) ...

, with the pair exchanging victories and using Twitter to insult one another, with even

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

(whom Rose called "Dad") joining in. Rose was one of the participants in the Second Annual André the Giant Memorial

Battle Royal Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...

WrestleMania 31 WrestleMania 31 was a 2015 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 31st annual WrestleMania and took place on March 29, 2015, at Levi's S ...

. Rose however did not win the match. In late April, Fandango split away from

Rosa Mendes Milena Leticia Roucka ( ; born October 25, 1979) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler, valet and model. She was known for her time in WWE under the ring name Rosa Mendes. She managed former WWE Tag Team Champions Primo & Epico from 201 ...

and Adam Rose was seen talking to her. A week later, Rosa cost Fandango a match with Rose, and became Rose's valet instead after a kiss. On 14 May Rose informed his Rosebuds that the party was "officially over", at this point completely ending his "Party animal"

gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand out ...

Various storylines and departure (2015–2016)

On 22 June episode of ''Raw'', Rose's gimmick was slightly altered to a pompous artiste, exclaiming that the WWE Universe had no idea of true art or passion, hyping up the reveal of his "masterpiece" in the process. The storyline was never resolved. Rose re-emerged on 29 August episode of ''

Main Event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

'', sporting generic black boots and tights, a plain grey shirt, glasses, and an altered gimmick again. Though he eventually submitted to Jack Swagger, he declared in a pre-match promo his intentions to "poop on everybody's party". On 5 October episode of ''Raw'', Rose shared a "cryptic message", saying, "All I wanted to do was put smiles on little children's faces. Well, poop." The camera then tilted down onto what seemed to be the Bunny's mascot head. On 3 November edition of ''Main Event'', during and after defeating Fandango, this mystery bunny person was seen at ringside leaving Rose surprised. Rose formed a tag team with

. However, the team would be short-lived as Maddox was released from his contract on 25 November. Following Maddox being released from the company, on 30 November 2015 edition of ''Raw'', Rose debuted a ''Hollywood Minute''-inspired segment entitled ''The Rose Bush'', in which he started talking about all the "dirt" in WWE. The Social Outcasts April 2016

On 4 January episode of ''Raw'', Rose, along with Heath Slater,

Curtis Axel Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and performed under his real name, styliz ...

and Bo Dallas, debuted as a new stable and went on to assist Slater in defeating

Dolph Ziggler Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he performs under his real name, stylized as Nic Nemeth, where he is one-half of the TNA World Tag ...

. On 11 January episode of ''Raw'', now billed as The Social Outcasts, the group would face

The Wyatt Family The Wyatt Family was an American professional wrestling Stable (professional wrestling), stable in WWE originally composed of Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan, and Brodie Lee, Luke Harper. Portrayed as a Heel (professional wrestling), villainous cult fro ...

to a no contest when Ryback interfered. On 24 January 2016 ''SmackDown'', the four defeated the team of

Goldust Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes, with a nickname of "The Natural" and is a member of The Sons of ...

, Damien Sandow, Jack Swagger and Zack Ryder in an eight-man tag match. On 8 February episode of Raw, Rose defeated Titus O'Neil. At

WrestleMania 32 WrestleMania 32 was a 2016 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 32nd annual WrestleMania and took place on April 3, 2016, at the AT&T ...

, Rose competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial

, but was eliminated by the eventual winner

Baron Corbin Thomas Pestock (born September 14, 1984) is an American professional wrestler, Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner, former professional football player and former amateur boxer. He is wrestling as a freelancer under the ring name Bishop Dyer, appea ...

. On 11 April episode of ''Raw'', Rose lost to

Apollo Crews Sesugh Isaac Uhaa (born August 22, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Apollo Crews. As of February 2025, he is out of action due to a torn pectoral muscl ...

in what would be his final match in WWE. On 16 April 2016, WWE announced that Leppan was suspended for 60 days after his second violation of the company's Wellness Program. Four days later on 20 April, Leppan publicly addressed his suspension as "not right", saying "I did not do anything knowingly wrong and was taking prescribed medication that my octorand I followed all the correct protocol on". On 3 May, Leppan posted a doctor's handwritten note on his Twitter feed, indicating that he had been prescribing Leppan

Adderall Adderall and Mydayis are trade names for a combination drug containing four salts of amphetamine. The mixture is composed of equal parts racemic amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, which produces a (3:1) ratio between dextroamphetamine and l ...

XR to treat

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...

. Leppan wrote that WWE had known he had the prescription for over a year. Three weeks later on 11 May, Leppan was arrested in Hillsborough County, Florida for domestic violence and tampering with a witness. Later that day, WWE announced that as a result, Leppan had been suspended indefinitely. Leppan requested his release from WWE and on 23 May 2016, the company announced that it was granted. On 14 June 2016 all charges against Leppan were dropped.

Later career and retirement (2016–2019)

After his release, Leppan announced his new ring name as Aldo Rose, maintaining the party host gimmick, but as an edgier character. His first match after his release took place on 23 July, losing a match against fellow WWE alumnus

. Rose took an absence from the professional wrestling industry in November. In January 2017, Rose addressed his absence from the industry, stating he had been with his family, and his social media was hacked. In addition, he announced that he had "killed off" the Adam Rose character and returned to his Leo Kruger persona, now renamed Krugar. Since then, however, he began to compete both under the Adam Rose and Krugar name. On 25 March 2017, Rose defeated Aaron Orion to become the Championship International Wrestling Heavyweight Champion; however, Rose lost the title to Orion the next day. On 21 April, Rose defeated CJ O'Doyle and Axx Clover to become the new Atomic Wrestling Entertainment Heavyweight Champion. On 18 March 2019, Leppan announced his retirement from pro wrestling, saying that he would be fulfilling the rest of his current bookings, not taking any more after that. In his retirement match on June 14, 2019, for the Atomic Revolutionary Wrestling promotion against Bull James, at ARW's 3rd annual Star Spangled event, Rose lost via submission when James reversed an attempted submission into a crossface.

Other media

Rose is included as

downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...

for the video game ''

WWE 2K15 ''WWE 2K15'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K (company), 2K for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to ''WWE 2K14'', and was succeeded by ''WWE 2 ...

'', and is also playable in ''

WWE 2K16 ''WWE 2K16'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It is the sequel to ''WWE 2K15'', and was succeeded by '' WWE 2K17''. It w ...

'' and mobile game ''

WWE SuperCard ''WWE SuperCard'' is a 2014 digital collectible card game featuring WWE Superstars for iOS and Android, and a mobile installment in the ''WWE'' video game series, under the ''WWE 2K'' banner, developed by Cat Daddy Games and published by 2K. As o ...

''. In May 2015, a documentary by '' E:60'' titled "Behind the Curtain", aired on

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

, focusing on Leppan, Austin Watson (

Xavier Woods Austin Watson (born September 4, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and YouTuber. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Xavier Woods and is part of The New Day and is one-half of the current World ...

), Matthew Polinsky (

Corey Graves Matthew Polinsky (born February 24, 1984) is an American wrestling color commentator and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under the ring name Corey Graves as the color commentator on th ...

), and their time in WWE's developmental system, NXT.

Personal life

Leppan has two sons, Maverick and Levi. Maverick was born in 2011 with an

omphalocele An omphalocele or omphalocoele, also known as an exomphalos, is a rare abdominal wall defect. Beginning at the 6th week of development, rapid elongation of the gut and increased liver size reduces intra abdominal space, which pushes intestinal lo ...

(a rare

abdominal wall defect Abdominal wall defects are a type of congenital defect that allows the stomach, the intestines, or other organs to protrude through an unusual opening that forms on the abdomen. During the development of the fetus, many unexpected changes occur in ...

), and needed immediate surgery after being born to correct the defect. By the age of three, Maverick had outlived his

prognosis Prognosis ( Greek: πρόγνωσις "fore-knowing, foreseeing"; : prognoses) is a medical term for predicting the likelihood or expected development of a disease, including whether the signs and symptoms will improve or worsen (and how quickly) ...

, had four operations, and needed to be fed through a tube linked to his stomach. Levi was born in 2014. Leppan is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Controversy

On 11 May 2016, Leppan was arrested in

Lutz, Florida Lutz is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community in Hillsborough County, Florida, Hillsborough County and Pasco County, Florida, Pasco County, Florida, United States, north of Tampa. While there is a Census-designated plac ...

by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office for tampering with a witness (domestic) and battery domestic assault. The incident took place at 1:30 am ET. The following day at 4:10 pm ET, Leppan was released from custody on a bond of $1,000. WWE officials suspended Leppan indefinitely, citing their "Zero Tolerance" policy for domestic abuse, and would later grant him his request for a release. On 14 June 2016, all charges against Leppan were dropped. On 17 June 2016, Leppan garnered controversy after releasing a T-shirt via the

Pro Wrestling Tees Pro Wrestling Tees is a website and store for professional wrestlers to sell their merchandise and is the largest website of its kind. The site regularly organizes meet ups for wrestlers and their fans around wrestling events. The company provides ...

website that featured the mugshot from his domestic violence arrest. Leppan wrote on his Twitter saying "To those who were offended by the mug shot t-shirt... I wasn't. It represented the lowest point in my life and no crime was ever committed". "It represented over coming and pardon the expression but taking a lemon and turning it into lemonade. So bite on my lemon! Get a life!". He also explained that the idea for the shirt came from his wife. The shirt has since been removed from the website.

Championships and accomplishments

*Atomic Revolutionary Wrestling **ARW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) ** ARW Next Level Championship (1 time) *Atomic Wrestling Entertainment **AWE Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Blue Water Championship Wrestling **BWCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Championship International Wrestling ** CIW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

** FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship (

2 times "2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...

) * ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' ** Ranked No. 77 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' in 2012 *

( 1 time) * ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...

'' ** Worst Gimmick (2014)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Adam 1979 births 20th-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century male professional wrestlers Doping cases in wrestling Expatriate professional wrestlers FCW Florida Heavyweight Champions Living people People from Lutz, Florida People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder South African expatriate sportspeople in the United States South African male professional wrestlers Martial artists from Johannesburg White South African people